Vampire Weekend made their first big splash of 2014 last night, performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the big Sony outdoor stage. Check out the two songs they played, plus the bonus song that is accessible by using the Shazam app on the first song...
Vampire Weekend "Hannah Hunt" on Jimmy Kimmel 1.20.2014:
Vampire Weekend "Unbelievers" on Jimmy Kimmel 1.20.2014:
Vampire Weekend "Unbelievers" (Seeburg Drum Machine Mix) through Shazam app:
"Hannah Hunt" sounds appropriate for the Los Angeles crowd, with a breezy mellow vibe. It's a subdued tune, but that doesn't stop the females in the crowd from screaming at the band of Vampire heartthrobs. Toward the end, things pick up as drummer Chris Tomson starts pounding the bass drum and Rostam Batmanglij switches from keyboard to electric slide guitar.
Things pick up with the 2nd song, "Unbelievers," as the tempo increases and the bass and drums lock up into a driving rhythm section. Ezra Koenig delivers a commanding performance in a green jumpsuit. When he sings the lines "I’m not excited but should I be / Is this the fate that half of the world has planned for me? / I know I love you and you love the sea / Wonder if the water contains a little drop little drop for me" he captures a certain disconnection between himself and his surroundings that works beautifully, especially in this type of setting.
The "Unbelievers" Seeburg Drum Machine Mix is a lo-fidelity industrial take on the song. The Seeburg Drum Machine is actually an early piece of soulless hardware from the 1960s. The electronic drum pattern sounds like a piece of machinery, pounding incessantly. Where the original song was colorful and vibrant, this sonic palette of the remix seems more like old grey factory hues.